Muscle Cars Muscle Their Way to the 2014 New York Auto Show

The New York Auto Show at Jacob Javits Convention Center is in full gear, showcasing interesting new model vehicle introductions. The show, which commenced last April 18, will be open to the public until the 27th this month.

While there are a good number of new, fuel efficient cars that visitors cannot get enough of, muscle cars rules the floor.

Ford welcomes visitors at the annual event with an all-new Mustang, commemorating the 50th year of the iconic brand’s original debut at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. However, Ford is not the only car maker from Detroit that puts the spotlight on performance for this year’s event. Its rival Chrysler boasts a pair of Dodge muscle cars–2015 versions of Challenger and Charger models–while General Motors rolls with an upgraded Chevrolet Corvette Z06, which is expected to be available in showrooms next year.

Import offerings also muscled their way to the event. The most powerful muscle car on the floor–and probably one of the most expensive at $14 million–is from Sweden in the form of Koenigsegg Agera. The brand comes in a variety of models and is said to have a minimum of 1,000 horsepower and tops at 1,322 horsepower.

Meanwhile, German car maker Mercedes introduces its 2015 S63 4Matic Coupe, which will have 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet tire-spinning torque. According to Mercedes, these will allow S63 to propel from 0 to 60 at 3.9 seconds. Price for the vehicle is yet to be announced, though it is expected to go higher than Mercedes’ previous ultra-luxury performance vehicle CL63 AMG, which carried a $154,000 base price.

Another German car maker, BMW, is set to debut a number of new products for this week’s show. However, it already has two new vehicles in the premium performance list, the M4 Convertible and B6 Gran Coupe.

The Alfa Romeo 4C is yet another notable performance-oriented brand wooing the crowd at Big Apple’s car show. After a two-decade hiatus, Alfa Romeo will be relaunched in the US. While Alfa did not have a press conference during the media preview, officials of the company said they have decided to focus on dynamics rather than speed. As such, the car is equipped with a 1.7 liter 237 horsepower 4-cylinder engine and scales at 2,420 lbs.

Porsche, of course, has its own share of powerful car to show off. Its 918 Spyder is a plug-in model that will produce 887 horsepower. This can propel the car to 60 in a little more than three seconds, with an estimated EPA of 78 mpg. 918 Spyder is priced at $845,000.

According to Dodge’s head Tim Kuniskis, despite rising gasoline prices across the nation, the public’s interest toward speed and power has never waned. In fact, their recent research suggests that an estimated 16 million Americans will likely purchase a new vehicle this year. Of the said figure, 4.5 million are seen to prioritize performance more than any other requirement in their shopping lists.